A visual approach is an approach to a runway at an airport conducted under

instrument flight rules In aviation, instrument flight rules (IFR) is one of two sets of regulations governing all aspects of civil aviation aircraft operations; the other is visual flight rules (VFR). The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) ''Instrument Fly ...

(IFR) but where the pilot proceeds by visual reference and clear of clouds to the airport. The pilot must at all times have either the airport or the preceding aircraft in sight. This approach must be authorized and under the control of the appropriate

air traffic control Air traffic control (ATC) is a service provided by ground-based air traffic controllers who direct aircraft on the ground and through a given section of controlled airspace, and can provide advisory services to aircraft in non-controlled airs ...

(ATC) facility. The

International Civil Aviation Organization The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO, ) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that coordinates the principles and techniques of international air navigation, and fosters the planning and development of international sc ...

(ICAO) definition adds that the visual approach can commence when "either part or all of an

instrument approach In aviation, an instrument approach or instrument approach procedure (IAP) is a series of predetermined maneuvers for the orderly transfer of an aircraft operating under instrument flight rules from the beginning of the initial approach to a landi ...

is not completed", varying only slightly from the

Federal Aviation Administration The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is the largest transportation agency of the U.S. government and regulates all aspects of civil aviation in the country as well as over surrounding international waters. Its powers include air traffic m ...

regulation and is essentially identical.

Purpose

The visual approach allows a pilot to fly to the runway without having to perform an instrument approach. This can greatly reduce pilot and controller workload, and expedite traffic by shortening flight paths to the airport. Taking a shorter route to the airport in lieu of flying a complicated

instrument approach procedure In aviation, an instrument approach or instrument approach procedure (IAP) is a series of predetermined maneuvers for the orderly transfer of an aircraft operating under instrument flight rules from the beginning of the initial approach to a landi ...

(IAP) can increase pilot safety, as the critical tasks of approach and landing occur when pilots are most fatigued. Controllers also benefit from visual approaches, for whom a visual approach is an essential tool in the effort to maximize traffic flow (especially at busy airports). Visual approaches dramatically reduce controller workload—ATC's IFR separation requirements may be reduced, under specific rules and circumstances, which relieves controllers of the burden. Visual approaches can also result in additional risks such as the misidentification of the landing runway, which resulted in an

Atlas Air Atlas Air, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings, is a major American cargo airline, passenger charter airline, and aircraft lessor based in Purchase, New York. Atlas Air is the world's largest operator of the Boei ...

Boeing 747 LCF The Boeing 747-400 Large Cargo Freighter (LCF) is a wide-body cargo aircraft modified extensively from the Boeing 747-400 airliner. With a volume of it can hold three times that of a 747-400F freighter.Hanson, Mary et al"Boeing Selects EGAT ...

landing at the small

Colonel James Jabara Airport Colonel James Jabara Airport is a public airport located northeast of the central business district of Wichita, a city in Sedgwick County, Kansas, United States. It is named in honor of World War II and Korean War flying ace James Jabara, an ...

rather than

McConnell Air Force Base McConnell Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located four miles (6 km) southeast of the central business district of Wichita, a city in Sedgwick County, Kansas, United States., effective 2007-12-20 The airbase was named in ...

where it intended to land. Other similar incidents have occurred. Particularly in congested airspace, visual approaches can increase pilot workload due to the high situational awareness required. This is because when a pilot accepts a visual approach, the pilot accepts responsibility for establishing a safe landing interval behind the preceding aircraft, as well as wake-turbulence avoidance and to remain clear of clouds. According to ICAO Doc. 4444, (def., 6.5.3 + 6.5.4.3 + 8.9.5) an approach by an IFR flight when either part or all of an instrument approach procedure is not completed and the approach is executed in visual reference to terrain. The pilot shall maintain visual reference to terrain and the reported ceiling shall be at or above the approved initial approach level. Metrological conditions is such that a visual approach and landing can be completed. For radar vectors, a clearance for visual approach shall only be issued if the pilot has reported the aerodrome or preceding aircraft in sight, at the time where vectors would normally cease. Part-NCO.OP page 27: A visual approach is not permitted when runway visual range (RVR) is less than 800 metres.

References

Air traffic control Types of final approach (aviation) {{Aviation-stub

Purpose

See also

References